Friday, September 7, 2012

Some words from Edgar Allan Poe:

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore--
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

For this Blackbird, it means we are closing the shop. While we are sad to say goodbye to something that has mean so much to us, we part with gratitude for a successful two years, love for our loyal customers, and excitement for the new adventures we will embark upon. Thank you Austin! Thank you North Loop! And Thank You Blackbird for the great ride, blast of a time, and more wisdom than we could have imagined you could bring.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Wow. So I decided to visit the old blog, and quickly realized that it's been almost three months since any of us has posted anything! Wow! Huh. It's not that we've disappeared, it's simply that we've been a bit swamped! Lots happening over here at the shop. We've gotten in SO MUCH women's clothing in lately, and have just been working our little feathers to get it all out on the floor.

Also, a secret from behind the scenes: we're in a bit of a transitional place right now. There might be some cool things to share soon, we'll see. But until then, just know that we're still here, doing our thing, and that I'm going to try to visit here more often :)

Aren't all of these pieces just freaking great? I think so. It makes me want to learn how to craft with metal...and solder things...and use a blow-torch. Ah, fun stuff. Anyway, while we don't carry any of these wonderful designer's wares here at Blackbird, it's still nice to drool over them via the internets...and great inspiration for what kinds of trinkets to go in search of for the shop. We certainly love jewelry over here, from vendors across the country to our own Juju-designed pieces and local artists, like Jamie Spinello. They are each little works of art, which to me is total justification for all the admiring and aquiring, especially when you can find some treasures for under $30 bucks! Affordable, wearable art! I will admit, though, that there will probably always be a part of me that pines for anything by Alexander McQueen, the Picasso of fashion in my book.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

So excited over here because Lucky Magazine just placed Blackbird on their store directory for April's issue! They visited a lot of the wonderful shops in Austin, and we were fortunate to make the list. Check out our little write-up...

Pretty cool. I must say that this little mention is quite exciting for me because years ago, when Lucky was born, I used to LOVE going through the pages with my stickers...and picking out a lot of "YES" things of course. So this:

photo courtesy of: http://theperfectratio.blogspot.com

ended up kinda looking like this:

photo courtesy of:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsgalpert/with/4852744309/

So fun to both the shopper in me AND the little girl in me who loves stickers. Ha! But also, I liked to read about the shopping guide in different places, you know, just in case I was ever in New York with tons of money to spend or something. Well, the shopkeeper in me loved seeing all the pics of the unique shops around the country, dreaming about what it must feel like to shop there, work there, or run the place. So when our little shop made it's little cameo, I can't help but feel like my own little dream came true. Thanks Lucky Magazine for the years of inspiration, fun, and fashion guidance...from all the above mentioned parts of me. Oh, and for making me feel truly lucky as well.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

On this rainy, dreary day I couldn't help but share some amazingly dark and graceful pictures by Alex Sainsbury for British designer Dominic Jones' new Fall 2012 campaign. Jones is not only a talented jeweler, but acclaimed and awarded for his distinct designs. In this new ad run, actress Jessica Brown Findlay from the British series Downton Abbey, poses alongside model and DJ Mary Charteris.

Talk about a haunting mood setter! Love it! Is the sun coming out now? Seriously?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I just love the way Edward Gorey's illustrations and books combine the innocence of childhood with dark Victorian settings and morbid and ominous tones. His numerous books and illustrations, which he happens to categorize as literary nonsense, have inspired the works of Tim Burton, Nine Inch Nails, the Tiger Lillies and of course, us here at Blackbird!